Water-jet cutting system

ABSTRACT

A water jet cutting system includes a supporting surface for supporting an object to be cut, a dispensing device for dispensing a jet of water against the object to be cut, a pressurized water generating apparatus in fluid communication with the dispensing device for supplying pressurized water to the dispensing device, and a support including a crosspiece positioned above the supporting surface for supporting the dispensing device and the pressurized water generating apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Patent Application No. IT-102017000114587 filed on Oct. 11, 2017. The entire content of this application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a water-jet cutting system.

Initially, water-jet cutting technology involved dispensing a jet of water at very high speed through a small diameter nozzle. This enabled a variety of materials to be cut, including: cardboard, fabric, nylon, plywood, polyethylene, food products, etc.

Subsequently, in order to improve cutting capability, an abrasive powder was added to the water. This enabled water-jet cutting technology to be used to cut materials that were harder than the previously mentioned materials, such as, for example: glass, marble, steel, composite materials, etc.

Current water-jet cutting systems include, inter alia, a hydraulic intensifier to generate pressurized water, an attenuator for damping pressure oscillations of the pressurized water generated by the intensifier, a cutting head, and a device for delivering abrasive powder to the cutting head.

Known systems further include a supporting surface for supporting an object to be cut, and a portal support structure including a crosspiece.

The latter is positioned and movable above the supporting surface, and is configured for slidably supporting the cutting head.

In known water-jet cutting systems, the intensifier and the attenuator are positioned on the ground, near the portal support structure, and are in fluid communication with the cutting head via flexible conduits connected to the crosspiece.

Such flexible conduits must be sufficiently long to enable the cutting head to freely move above and over the entire extent of the supporting surface.

The significant length of the flexible conduits, in some cases more than 10 m, nevertheless entails significant load losses.

Accordingly, it is necessary to oversize the intensifier resulting in increased purchase, operation and frequent maintenance costs that are required to replace the components of the intensifier that are subjected to fatigue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to improve water-jet cutting systems including a dispensing device and a pressurized water generator that are supported on a support assembly which is movable relative to an object to be cut. The object is arranged on a support surface below the support assembly and the dispensing device delivers a jet of water from the pressurized water generator onto the object.

A further object is to provide a water-jet cutting system that is cheaper and requires less maintenance than known water-jet cutting systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the enclosed drawings that illustrate an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is an axonometric schematic view of a water-jet cutting system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the water-jet cutting system according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an axonometric schematic view of dispensing and pressurized water generating devices included in the water-jet cutting system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a water jet cutting system 1 is configured for cutting a raw object (not shown), by abrasion and erosion, to obtain therefrom a finished product of desired shape.

The cutting system 1 includes a dispensing device 2, including one or more cutting heads 3, configured for dispensing a jet of water onto the object to be cut.

Each of the one or more cutting heads 3 includes, in one embodiment of the invention:

-   -   an inlet, which is not shown, for receiving pressurized water;     -   a primary nozzle, which is not shown, for transforming the         energy of the pressurized water into kinetic energy;     -   an inlet, which is not shown, for receiving abrasive material,         for example an abrasive powder;     -   a mixing chamber, which is not shown, for mixing the pressurized         water and the abrasive material; and     -   a focusing nozzle, which is not shown, for focusing the jet         formed by the mixture of water and abrasive material on the         object to be cut.

The cutting system 1 further includes a pressurized water generating apparatus 4, which supplies pressurized water to the dispensing device 2 via high pressure conduits 5, thus maintaining fluid communication between the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 and the dispensing device 2.

The pressurized water generating apparatus 4 includes one or more pressure intensifiers 6, for example electric pressure intensifiers, or hydraulic pressure intensifiers.

Also, the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 includes one or more attenuators 7, configured for damping possible pressure oscillations of the pressurized water emitted from the one or more intensifiers 6.

Each attenuator 7 is in fluid communication with, and is interposed between, a respective intensifier 6 and a respective dispensing device 2.

In use, the water, taken from the water supply network, is filtered and drawn into the one or more pressure intensifiers 6 that take the water to the desired pressure.

Subsequently, the pressurized water is pushed into the one or more attenuators 7 so as to arrive at the primary nozzle of the respective cutting head 3 at a substantially uniform pressure.

From here, the flow of the pressurized water reaches the mixing chamber, in which the water meets the abrasive material coming from a delivery conduit and draws the abrasive material and water mixture through the focusing nozzle, directing the abrasive material and water mixture to the object to be cut.

The cutting system 1 further includes a movement apparatus 8 for moving the one or more cutting heads 3.

In the illustrated embodiment, the movement apparatus 8 includes a closed portal support structure assembly 9.

The closed portal support structure assembly 9 includes a crosspiece 10 operationally positioned above a work surface P that is configured for retaining the object to be cut during machining.

The crosspiece 10 is provided with two opposite ends 11 each connected to a corresponding upright, which is not shown, each upright being slidable along a respective base 12. In one embodiment of the invention, which is not shown, the movement apparatus 8 includes an open portal support structure in which the crosspiece is connected with one end thereof to an upright that is slidable along a respective base, the other end of the crosspiece being free.

The crosspiece 10 includes a first wall 13 configured for slidingly supporting one or more cutting heads 3 in a known manner.

Also, the crosspiece 10 includes a second wall 14 configured for supporting the pressurized water generating apparatus 4.

For example, the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 is fixed to the second wall 14 by a threaded connection, or by quick fitting systems or in other equivalent ways.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first wall 13 is substantially parallel to, and opposite, the second wall 14.

In one embodiment of the invention, which is not shown, the first wall is transverse, in particular substantially perpendicular to, and contiguous with the second wall.

It should be noted how the configuration of the cutting system 1 according to the invention is particularly advantageous.

In fact, the position of the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 on the crosspiece element 10 means that the high pressure conduits 5 connecting the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 to the dispensing device 2 are particularly short, thus reducing the load losses between the pressurized water generating apparatus 4 and the dispensing device 2.

As a result, the cutting system 1 according to the invention requires one or more pressure intensifiers 6 that are undersized with respect to those used in known systems, thus reducing the costs of purchase, operation and maintenance of the one or more intensifiers 6.

The invention that is thus conceived is open to numerous modifications and variations that all fall within the scope of the inventive concept. Further, all of the details can be replaced with technically equivalent elements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A water jet cutting system, comprising: (a) a supporting surface for supporting an object to be cut; (b) a dispensing device which dispenses a jet of water against the object to be cut; (c) a pressurized water generating apparatus in fluid communication with said dispensing device to supply pressurized water to said dispensing device; and (d) a supporting assembly for supporting said dispensing device above said supporting surface and for supporting said pressurised water generating apparatus.
 2. A water jet cutting system according to claim 1, wherein said supporting assembly includes a crosspiece, said dispensing device being supported by a first wall of said crosspiece, and said pressurised water generating apparatus being supported by a second wall of said crosspiece element.
 3. A water jet cutting system according to claim 2, wherein said first wall is substantially parallel to and opposite said second wall.
 4. A water jet cutting system according to claim 2, wherein said first wall is transverse to and contiguous with said second wall.
 5. A water jet cutting system according to claim 2, wherein said pressurised water generating apparatus comprises at least one pressure intensifier.
 6. A water jet cutting system according to claim 5, wherein said pressure intensifier comprises at least one of an electric pressure intensifier and a hydraulic pressure intensifier.
 7. A water jet cutting system according to claim 5, wherein said pressurised water generating apparatus includes at least one attenuator for damping pressure oscillations of said pressurized water coming from said at least one pressure intensifier, said at least one attenuator being in fluid communication with, and interposed between, said at least one pressure intensifier and said dispensing device.
 8. A water jet cutting system according to claim 2, wherein said support structure comprises a portal support structure and wherein said crosspiece slidingly supports said dispensing device.
 9. A water jet cutting system according to claim 1, wherein said dispensing device comprises at least one cutting head. 